A/N: Just to be clear to those that have not yet seen Revolutions, this story is taking place directly after the ending. Nothing in the first chapter actually happened in the movie but it's my take on what should happen right after. Hope everyone likes it!
Chapter Two
The three days following the end of the war seemed like a fairy-tale come to life to those in Zion. It was true that many people had died, that the underground fortress so long called a haven was in shambles but what was lost was nothing compared to what had been gained.
Morpheus had not told anybody what the Oracle had told him since his visit to the Matrix three days passed. After all it was meant to be for him alone, as usual. He was not yet sure why or what good her words would do to help him on his path but Morpheus trusted her and knew she would never lead him astray. Nevertheless, that didn't make waiting any easier.
Niobi walked over to where Morpheus was leaning against the balcony railing staring into the darkness of the night.
"Up kind of late, aren't we?" she said, not looking into his eyes but similarly into the darkness as he was.
"If tonight is the night of their return then I don't want to miss it," he replied softly.
Niobi sighed and said gently, "Morpheus, you know there's a strong possibility that they didn't make it. They might not be coming back."
Morpheus nodded slowly.
"I still feel them, Niobi," he said, looking into her dark eyes, "I can't believe that they are gone for good. I can't."
They were both silent for several minutes, both pondering upon their own thoughts. Finally he continued.
"Is the Neb still usable?"
She anwered slowly, already tuned in to what he was thinking. "Yes but the EMS is still not functioning."
"I don't think we'll need that any more. If we truly are at peace then the machines shouldn't atack any more unless it is in self-defense. And I"m not planning on an offensive mission."
"What exactly are you planning then?"
Morpheus paused.
"A recovery and rescue."
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
Lights blazed as brightly as fire, nearly enough to blind whomever was watching them. Something cold and hard was suddenly removed.
Neo gasped.
He was lying flat on his back staring into a vast array of burning images that he came to recognize as the machines as memories started harshly flowing back into his mind. Neo tried to move but shuddered at the familiar feeling of being still connected to the many arms of the simulating machines. He drew in an unsteady breath into his burning lungs.
"What's going on?" he asked out loud, sensing that the Source was still nearby. He was surprised to hear his voice come out as weak as it did.
"You were damaged," the metallic voice that sounded more like a chorus of hundreds of people than anything else said. "We reiserted your mind back into the Matrix so you could be healed."
"Why?" Neo questioned, struggling to recall anything after he'd become a copy of Smith and witnessed them all exploding. Nothing came.
"We are incapable of producing the proper routines to repair a human while on the outside. Inside the Matrix the remaining humans were able to fix the damage enough to bring you back out."
"No...I mean why did you heal me?"
"We are unable to comprehend a question of why. It was the logical thing to do so it was done."
Neo, beginning to understand the machine way of 'thinking' kept on.
"What factors made it a logical decision to heal me?" he asked.
"If a program is able to gain the same power that Smith had while outside the Matrix, which is being prepared to end, you are the only being capable of terminating it."
Neo took a few minutes to take all this in. They were really at peace. And the machines had even healed him in case they needed him again. But wait, there was one more thing they hadn't mentioned. Trinity.
"What about Trinity?" Neo asked, "As human emotions are weak I might be psychologically damaged if she is not there. Can she be fixed?" He held his breath as he waited for an answer.
Suddenly the connectors on Neo's arms, back, and the rest of his body were removed and he was left lying on the cold metal platform.
"Answer me," he commanded.
Still no reply came.
Neo slowly managed to roll on his side and push himself up onto his hands and knees. The sensation of nausea came over him but he stubbornly refused to let the machines see him any weaker than he already was.
Suddenly he felt a small vibration under his hand and he could even see the fire-like platform quiver slightly.
"Neo?"
Neo jerked his head up. It couldn't be... The machines were playing tricks on him. Just because they were at peace didn't mean they liked him.
He sensed the vibrations getting closer.
"Who's there?" he asked, reaching out his arm. He gasped aloud as another set of fingers slowly entwined into his. Neo sat back down and didn't resist as the other being slowly traced his hand along the soft curves of her face.
"Trinity?" he whispered.
"They healed me too, Neo. I don't know why."
Trinity sat beside Neo and the two embraced tightly. They held each other for what seemed like hours. Both afraid to let the other one go. They'd recieved another chance. They wouldn't lose each other again.
Chapter Two
The three days following the end of the war seemed like a fairy-tale come to life to those in Zion. It was true that many people had died, that the underground fortress so long called a haven was in shambles but what was lost was nothing compared to what had been gained.
Morpheus had not told anybody what the Oracle had told him since his visit to the Matrix three days passed. After all it was meant to be for him alone, as usual. He was not yet sure why or what good her words would do to help him on his path but Morpheus trusted her and knew she would never lead him astray. Nevertheless, that didn't make waiting any easier.
Niobi walked over to where Morpheus was leaning against the balcony railing staring into the darkness of the night.
"Up kind of late, aren't we?" she said, not looking into his eyes but similarly into the darkness as he was.
"If tonight is the night of their return then I don't want to miss it," he replied softly.
Niobi sighed and said gently, "Morpheus, you know there's a strong possibility that they didn't make it. They might not be coming back."
Morpheus nodded slowly.
"I still feel them, Niobi," he said, looking into her dark eyes, "I can't believe that they are gone for good. I can't."
They were both silent for several minutes, both pondering upon their own thoughts. Finally he continued.
"Is the Neb still usable?"
She anwered slowly, already tuned in to what he was thinking. "Yes but the EMS is still not functioning."
"I don't think we'll need that any more. If we truly are at peace then the machines shouldn't atack any more unless it is in self-defense. And I"m not planning on an offensive mission."
"What exactly are you planning then?"
Morpheus paused.
"A recovery and rescue."
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
Lights blazed as brightly as fire, nearly enough to blind whomever was watching them. Something cold and hard was suddenly removed.
Neo gasped.
He was lying flat on his back staring into a vast array of burning images that he came to recognize as the machines as memories started harshly flowing back into his mind. Neo tried to move but shuddered at the familiar feeling of being still connected to the many arms of the simulating machines. He drew in an unsteady breath into his burning lungs.
"What's going on?" he asked out loud, sensing that the Source was still nearby. He was surprised to hear his voice come out as weak as it did.
"You were damaged," the metallic voice that sounded more like a chorus of hundreds of people than anything else said. "We reiserted your mind back into the Matrix so you could be healed."
"Why?" Neo questioned, struggling to recall anything after he'd become a copy of Smith and witnessed them all exploding. Nothing came.
"We are incapable of producing the proper routines to repair a human while on the outside. Inside the Matrix the remaining humans were able to fix the damage enough to bring you back out."
"No...I mean why did you heal me?"
"We are unable to comprehend a question of why. It was the logical thing to do so it was done."
Neo, beginning to understand the machine way of 'thinking' kept on.
"What factors made it a logical decision to heal me?" he asked.
"If a program is able to gain the same power that Smith had while outside the Matrix, which is being prepared to end, you are the only being capable of terminating it."
Neo took a few minutes to take all this in. They were really at peace. And the machines had even healed him in case they needed him again. But wait, there was one more thing they hadn't mentioned. Trinity.
"What about Trinity?" Neo asked, "As human emotions are weak I might be psychologically damaged if she is not there. Can she be fixed?" He held his breath as he waited for an answer.
Suddenly the connectors on Neo's arms, back, and the rest of his body were removed and he was left lying on the cold metal platform.
"Answer me," he commanded.
Still no reply came.
Neo slowly managed to roll on his side and push himself up onto his hands and knees. The sensation of nausea came over him but he stubbornly refused to let the machines see him any weaker than he already was.
Suddenly he felt a small vibration under his hand and he could even see the fire-like platform quiver slightly.
"Neo?"
Neo jerked his head up. It couldn't be... The machines were playing tricks on him. Just because they were at peace didn't mean they liked him.
He sensed the vibrations getting closer.
"Who's there?" he asked, reaching out his arm. He gasped aloud as another set of fingers slowly entwined into his. Neo sat back down and didn't resist as the other being slowly traced his hand along the soft curves of her face.
"Trinity?" he whispered.
"They healed me too, Neo. I don't know why."
Trinity sat beside Neo and the two embraced tightly. They held each other for what seemed like hours. Both afraid to let the other one go. They'd recieved another chance. They wouldn't lose each other again.